The Glass Portal To Another World
by HitomiJunichi
Summary: Rukia is gone. And now Ichigo and his team have to travel a whole different world to find her. There's going to be Ichiruki, and Ishihime later on.
1. Shattered Segment 1: Missing

Ichigo (Kurosaki) – A high school student with a punk face, who changed into a Shinigami/Death God/Soul Reaper to save his little sister.

Rukia (Kuchiki) – A powerful Shinigami who takes on Ichigo as her substitute while she tries to regain her powers. She has now regained her powers.

Uryuu (Ishida) – A Quincy who has become friends with Ichigo

Chad/Sado (Yasutora) – He seems to be a normal friend of Ichigo's with inhuman strength, until his arm takes on a new form, similar to a Hollow

Inoue (Orihime) – She is a timid friend of Ichigo's who has six fairy-like creatures that resides in her clips due to an incident. They are the source of her powers.

Kisuke (Urahara) – A seemingly carefree shop owner who helps out Shinigami who have come to perform duties in the real world. He has a way of obtaining information.

Hollow – Malevolent deceased souls of formerly normal humans

Shinigami/Death Gods/Soul Reapers – A group of spirits who govern the flow of human souls between the human world and the afterlife

Quincy – A race of humans who are able to shape spirit particles into weapons, like bows or daggers

Soul Society – A place where spirits go when the rest in peace

Hueco Mundo – The world of the Hollows

-chan – What close friends and relatives usually add onto the end of each other's names

-kun – Familiar title after name of classmate or colleague, usually male friends of relatives.

-san – Mr. Mrs. Ms. Or Miss.

-sama – very formal Mr. Mrs. Ms. Or Miss.

Sempai – one's senior, upperclassmen

Kohai – one's junior, lowerclassmen

Sensei - teacher

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**Bleach Fan Fiction ~ The Glass Portal To Another World**

Shattered Segment 1: Missing

"Rukia!" Ichigo shouted as her unconscious body floated into a dark, swirling hole. It was too late. She had disappeared. "Shit!" he exclaimed slicing up the monsters, called Hollows, that were preventing him from coming near to Rukia. "There's too many of them! Where are they all coming from?!"

Ichigo, Rukia, Uryuu, Inoue, and Chad were fighting Hollows that appeared in the middle of an elementary school's soccer field when a hand reached out of a strange portal and paralyzed Rukia. Then it took her away without even touching the others.

"Is everyone all right?" Ichigo turned around and asked when all of the Hollows in that area were executed.

Chad and Uryuu nodded while Chad's arm was returning to its normal form and Uryuu deactivated his Quincy bow. Inoue was kneeling down, cradling the injured Tsubaki in her hand.

"Ah, not again," Ichigo complained, bending down to examine Tsubaki. "Come on, Tsubaki, you can do better than that."

"Kurosaki-kun…" Inoue started. "I'm… sorry that I'm so weak." She didn't even look at Ichigo in her shame but instead, stared down at the ground.

Ichigo paused for a while. He frowned and then gently hit her head. "Shut up, you're not weak," he scolded. "Don't think about that. Right now, we have to focus on finding out where Rukia is."

He stood back up and stared at where Rukia disappeared into, which had turned back into the normal scenery he always saw when he played soccer as a kid.

"Aw, Ichigo, don't cry," Kon teased, climbing onto Ichigo's shoulder.

Ichigo glanced at Kon, took a minute to understand the situation, and then threw the stuffed animal onto the ground. "Shut up, I'm not going to cry!" Ichigo exclaimed, molding Kon into a pancake shape with his foot.

"Look, Urahara-san is coming," Uryuu commented and pointed to the other side of the soccer field. "I think he detected the disturbance and the thing that took Rukia away. Maybe he can tell us something."

They ran to Kisuke, who is Urahara, and Ichigo desperately asked, "Where's Rukia?" and shook him.

Kisuke held up and hand to stop Ichigo and smiled. "That… I don't know," he replied. His expression turned to serious. "But I detected a disturbance in the balance of the Earth, Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo."

"What?!" Uryuu exclaimed. "All three at the same time?"

"Earth, Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo can be considered the same thing, as in Soul Society is the heaven or upper part and Hueco Mundo is the hell or lower part for Earth," Kisuke explained. "But there is another place like Earth with an upper part and a lower part to it. I'm not sure yet, but that place is becoming merged with our world. And that might be the reason why Rukia was taken away so easily and we can sense her presence. I'll have to look more into this later."

"Later?" Ichigo asked. "Why not now? What if Rukia is being tortured over there? Or maybe… she can possibly be already dead… We need to find her quickly."

Chad grunted in agreement.

Kisuke sighed and looked at Inoue and Uryuu, who nodded at him.

"Okay then," Kisuke gave in. "I'll postpone my current project and look into this. I'll treat it as an emergency. Well…" He spread out his fan and smiled. "Good luck, everyone." He turned around and walked back to his shop, waving.


	2. Shattered Segment 2: Begin

**Bleach Fan Fiction ~ The Glass Portal To Another World**

Shattered Segment 2: Begin

They sat at a low table in one of the shop's rooms, waiting for Urahara to finish his research or at least make some progress. Ichigo tapped his fingers on the table impatiently while the others waited quietly.

Once Kon sighed in boredom, Ichigo's tapping grew louder.

"Ichigo, stop," Uryuu scolded. "It's really bothering me."

The door near them slid open and Kisuke appeared with a worried expression.

Ichigo sprang up from the floor and asked him, "Have you found out anything yet?"

"No, I just heard a really melancholic sound coming from here," Kisuke replied, "but it's only you. I see." He paused. "If you want to see Rukia that badly though, I can send you over there right now."

_Tick. _Ichigo and the four others, including Kon, turned to the clock. Only Kisuke remained completely emotionless. _Tick, tick, tick. Tick. Tick. Tick… tick… tick…_

"That's a strange sound," Uryuu stated. "It's like… time is passing by slower and slower…"

"That's right!" Kisuke exclaimed. "Uryuu-kun is so smart! I am already sending you over there. Time in that world seems to be a little slower than here. For example, one of their days seems to be equal to one of our seconds."

"So it becomes day and night that fast?" Inoue asked.

"No, it feels like a normal day over there," Kisuke corrected. "Actually this world interference already happened in their world. They have to wait a few more centuries more for the next one, which is the one happening right now in our world. It seems as if they have collided with a bunch of other worlds before. But Rukia, she'll be there. She's not going to float between the worlds, waiting for that much time to pass." He paused and took a bunny ear headset out his pocket. He handed that over to Ichigo. "Use this to contact with me."

"What?" Ichigo asked. "Why rabbit ears?"

"Because Rukia likes rabbit ears," Kisuke replied. "Now, you should be hearing the seconds ticking even slower. It should be almost as if the next second seemed like it was never to come. To finish this transport, step through the window behind you." He pointed in the direction the windows were at. "You'll appear in that world," he said while the four high school students were walking towards the window. "I don't know if it'll be near or far from Rukia, but you'll be there. And so, your very fun journey shall begin!" He picked up Kon, who was watching quietly, which was a rare thing to see him do. "Oh, and don't forget Kon!" He said, throwing the stuffed animal into Ichigo's face at the last second before they disappeared through the glass portal. "We don't need him… but you do…"


	3. Shattered Segment 3: Falling

Kon – A stuffed animal I almost forgot to introduce. He is a modified soul. If you take the candy-like thing out of him and eat it, it'll force your soul out and he'll take over your body. This can prove very useful when Ichigo needs a substitute when he goes out of school to purify a Hollow.

Renji (Abarai) – He grew up with Rukia and proves to be a good friend to Ichigo. He is also a Shinigami

Ryuuji (Fujitaka) – He is similar to Renji in many ways. He looks similar and acts similar, but there are differences. He loves his grandmother very much. This is not a character from Bleach, but an original character that popped into my head to use as an excuse having Renji in that world, but at the same time, he's not really there.

Grandma – Ryuuji's grandmother. She's a fortuneteller and is able to make her face look like a nightmare.

**Bleach Fan Fiction ~ The Glass Portal To Another World**

Segment 3: Falling

Kon grabbed onto Inoue and screamed, "We're falling out of the sky!!! Someone, help us!!! We'll do anything for help! We're going to die!!!!"

They went through cloud and cloud until they were soaked, and then progressed further to the ground through the branches of many trees.

"Ichigo, do something!" Kon shrieked. "Cut the branches or something!"

"We can't use our powers," Uryuu stated. "This world doesn't have the same kind of spirit particles. Therefore, we cannot use any of our special abilities. Rukia wouldn't be able to get out of her gigai either."

Somehow, the five of them luckily landed in a large pile of black leaves and didn't have to suffer the pain of breaking a few bones. Once they finally crawled out of the pile, a man with red hair and tattoos, holding a broom groaned, "I was almost finished. Why'd you have to ruin it?" He stomped a ways away from them and exclaimed, "Stupid grandma always makes me do these useless chores when I visit her! I'm using my precious time to visit her! Hah! Well, this is the best thing to make a visitor do! Just great! How disrespectful!"

"Renji?" Ichigo asked. "Is that you?"

The man with the red hair turned around and looked at Ichigo with a confused look. "Do you know me?" he asked. "Well, yeah, that name was pretty close. It's actually Ryuuji. Fujitaka Ryuuji."

"Oh, you're not Renji," Ichigo realized. "Yes, that's right. I see now. Your eyebrows are thicker and you don't have the same tattoos."

"Sure, whatever," Ryuuji said. "I have one question. Did you just fall out of the sky?"

"I… guess you can say that," Ichigo replied, giving him a tense smile.

Ryuuji sighed. "My grandmother predicted this," he stated. "I just didn't believe her. Well, anyway, follow me." He headed towards the house made out of banana tree leaves in the distance.

"Where to?" Uryuu asked.

"To my grandmother," Ryuuji replied. "She probably would want to talk to you guys."

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"I have been anticipating your arrival," the elderly woman said. "You have come here to find your friend. Her location is still moving around though. I also have to tell you that it is an inconvenience for you to try to find her in this world. There are no metal birds here, unlike your world, to use for faster transportation."

"Metal birds?" Inoue asked. "Do you mean airplanes?"

"How do you know all this?" Uryuu asked the woman with a suspicious look.

"I'm a fortuneteller," the elderly woman replied, smiling.

"Grandma, can I come in?" Ryuuji asked. "I've made some tea."

"Yes, dear," the woman called. "You can also call me Grandma, my guests that have fallen out of the sky."

They told her their names and introduced themselves as they cheerfully enjoyed the tea and their company.

"Oh my!" Grandma exclaimed, when the sun began setting and the sunlight pouring into the room became pink. "I still have to show you your rooms. Ryuuji, please do so. Your grandmother here is getting very tired."

They followed Ryuuji silently through the hallway.

"You really love your grandma, don't you, Fujitaka-san?" Inoue asked Ryuuji, interrupting the silence.

"Please, just call me Ryuuji," he said. "And yeah, I do like my grandmother. But she isn't my real grandmother. I don't really remember, but I was an orphan, and I was wandering around in the streets late at night. I just escaped from a really bad orphanage and it was my first time out in the real world. A gang dragged me into a dark alley when I tried to defend a girl they were picking on. They were about to kill me but Grandma came carrying a truckload of groceries. Then she realized the situation I was in and made a messed up face that made the whole gang run and scatter. She found parents for me after that." He paused. "Sorry, I should be showing you to you room… but I guess you guys are too easy to talk to."

The door from Grandma's room slid open and her eyes became red. "What are you guys still doing here?" she growled, crinkling up her face until it looked like a monster.

They scattered.

Ryuuji sat trembling in a corner. "I- I think I'm going to have nightmares after seeing that face this many times in one life," he stuttered.

"Oh no!" Kon exclaimed. "Uryuu died from fright! I saw this soul float away!"

"You're lying!" Ichigo shouted in disbelief.

"Yeah… I am," Kon said. "How'd you know?"


	4. Shattered Segment 4: Box

Keigo (Asano) – An over-reactive classmate, who uses overdramatic movements to act out his feelings.

**Bleach Fan Fiction ~ The Glass Portal To Another World**

Segment 4: Box

There were only a few rooms in that small house in the middle of a jungle, so they split the boys and girls up into two rooms.

"Eh?" Ichigo asked. "Inoue's alone." He gave Inoue a thumbs up. "Don't worry, Inoue. Maybe Uryuu can come with you. He's girly enough."

"Hey!" Ishida exclaimed.

"I volunteer!" Kon shouted. "I'll take on the bold request of sharing rooms with sweet Inoue! That way, I can bury myself in her bosom happily!"

Ichigo grabbed Kon, who squeaked, and yelled in his face, "I don't trust you, you creeper! You're going to do bad things to her while we're not looking, aren't you?"

"Eww…" Kon groaned when Ichigo dropped him on the floor. "Ichigo spit in my face."

"It's okay, everyone," Inoue spoke up. "It's just a room. I won't be lonely. I'll be all right."

"Okay, if you say so," Ichigo said. "I claim the bed!" he shouted running towards the room. He paused when he was standing next to Chad. He leaned over and whispered, "No, actually, you can have the bed, Chad. Just don't let Uryuu have it."

"Hey, I can hear you!" Uryuu shouted. "I'm not deaf."

"All right, everyone," Ryuuji said and walked in, trembling. "Hurry up. I don't want my nightmare to be revived."

Inoue nodded and closed the room to her room behind her. "Will I… be a burden again?" she asked herself. "Will I cause them to get hurt defending me?" She shook her head. "No, I can't let that happen. I have to become strong."

Ichigo and the other men had settled themselves in that room while Ryuuji left. "Ah, the floor feels so good!" Ichigo exclaimed gratefully, lying on the floor. He suddenly heard a ringing and assumed it was the rabbit ears, since that world seemed to not have anything like electronics and phones. He reached into his pocked and pulled it out. A screen appeared, and the rabbit ears projected Kisuke's image on the wall.

"So," Kisuke started cheerfully. "Have you found our dear Rukia yet?"

"Give me that," Uryuu said and grabbed the rabbit ears out of Ichigo's hands.

"Ah! Uryuu-kun!" Kisuke said with a bright tone. "So you're going to answer the question for-"

"Of course we haven't found Rukia!" Uryuu exploded. "That woman said that Rukia is on the other side of the world. That's a few thousand miles away. And there aren't any convenient transportation vehicles here so we're going to take a long time to get there."

"Why'd that woman have to tell you?" Kisuke asked.

"So… you knew that too?" Uryuu inquired. "You knew? Does that mean you sent us to this specific location on purpose?" He looked angry.

"Uryuu, smoke is coming out of your ears," Chad stated, pointing and plugging his nose. "It smells bad."

"Yes, it was on purpose," Kisuke replied. "Now don't cry, Uryuu-kun. I need you to give the box that will appear in front of you to Ryuuji's grandmother. Tell her not to open it. It'll make her want to open it more."

"So should she open it or not?" Uryuu asked.

"I don't care," Kisuke said. "Just go along with whatever she does. Now, go to sleep and give it to her tomorrow morning.

"You're a weirdo," Uryuu said.

"I know," Kisuke said, grinning. "I'm surprised you guys are already this stressed out. Look at Ichigo. He's getting tense and awkwardly cheerful. And Chad's peace is constantly being disturbed. Inoue is probably tense too. And this is just the first day. It'll be entertaining to see how you guys survive on this trip."

"Shut up," Uryuu snapped, annoyed.

"So…" Kisuke started. "I'll see you tomorrow, my little rabbits!" The screen that showed Kisuke disappeared and Ichigo shoved both the box and the rabbit ears into his pocket.

"It'll be kind of hard getting used to having you guys around all the time," Ichigo stated.

"Yeah," Chad agreed quietly.

"Who wants to sleep with the cowardly lion?" Ichigo asked, threw Kon up into the ceiling and caught him. "Maybe Chad will, since he loves cute things. Would you mind, Chad?"

"No," Chad responded.

"Then it's decided," Ichigo said.

"Hehe," Kon laughed. "How are you two doing on the cold floor while I'm on this warm bed?"

"Fine," Uryuu replied. "We're doing fine. Did you expect us to overreact?"

"I wonder how Rukia's doing," Ichigo stated.

"Why do you keep changing the subject, Ichigo?" Kon asked.

"I'm sorry," Ichigo apologized. "There's just been a lot on my mind lately, like Rukia and the time in this world. How does the world interference come later in this world when the time in this world is faster than in our world?"

"Is that all?" Uryuu asked.

"No," Ichigo responded. "There's Inoue too. Is she thinking that she's a burden again? Is Tatsuki looking for her? Is Keigo doing all right?"

"Why Keigo?" Kon asked. "You could be worrying about some other classmate instead."

"Maybe if you get some sleep your mind will be more cleared," Uryuu stated and turned over in his mattress.

There was a silence.

"About Rukia," Chad started. "She's fine. Before we left, Urahara-san told me she has lots of time."

***

"BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Grandma laughed. "He gives me a box and tells me not to open it. How stupid!"

The sun had only halfway risen when they gave her the box, which she opend right away. They waited for a moment for something to come out of the box, but Grandma just sat there, waiting, and didn't reach her hands into the box. After a few seconds of waiting, a black light poured out.

"Why do I feel as if someone opened Pandora's box?" Uryuu complained as he listen to Grandma's evil laughing.

"AHHH!!!" the box screamed.

"No!" Kon exclaimed, frightened. "THIS JOURNEY WILL TURN INTO A HORROR STORY!!!"

"That's Keigo's voice," Ichigo shouted.

Surely enough, Keigo came flying out of the box onto where Ichigo, Uryuu, and Chad were sitting. Inoue was sitting on the other side of the table.

"Ichigooo!!!" Keigo whined. "Where am I? Why am I here? I was buying drinks from the vending machine until this guy with a hat and sandals sucked me up into this purple thing! Then I came here!"

"Of all people," Uryuu started, "why this annoying brat? Why did Urahara-san pick him instead of Tatsuki or something? How is this weakling going to help us?"

"You have no right to say anything, four-eyes!" Keigo shouted, overreacting.

"There's a weird power coming from this box," Grandma said mysteriously. "And I hear voices! They telling me, 'Use this power to give the weaklings abilities.' Yes! I shall listen to them! Ichigo, I give you holy powers and the heavenly sword."

"That is so out of character for Ichigo," Keigo stated, thinking that this was some role-playing game. "This game is screwed."

"To Chad, I give an arm of strength and an arm of kindness."

"Sado's already strong enough," Keigo commented. "He doesn't need that."

"To Uryuu, I give a bow and arrows."

"Whoa! That suits him!" Keigo said, nodding. "I can see him doing that."

"To Keigo, I give the power to… hmm… how strange… the voices are telling me strange things about you…"

"What?" Keigo asked.

"To Keigo, I give the power to think."

"Yep, yep," Keigo nodded. He paused. "Wait. IS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE IN INSULT?!"

Ichigo hit Keigo on the head. "Why can't you be quiet for once?" he scolded.

"You!" Keigo shouted. "You hit me! How dare you hit me? Even my dad never hit me!"

"Your dad is really amazing," Uryuu said, whacking him in the back.

"You hit me too!" Keigo shouted.

Ichigo paused. "Grandma," he called. "What about Inoue?"

"Inoue doesn't need any powers," Grandma stated. "She can still use her previous powers in this world. She is a strange one." Grandma hesitated. "To Rukia, I give dark powers."

The box suddenly closed.

"Well, our powers here are pretty similar to what we had in the past," Uryuu said.


	5. Shattered Segemnt 5: Blank

Kairu (Ikuto) – a mysterious man. Not a real character in Bleach.

**Bleach Fan Fiction ~ The Glass Portal To Another World**

Segment 5: Blank 

Rukia slowly lifted her heavy eyelids and groaned. She was sore throughout her whole body, but she sat up to observe the surroundings. She was going to use her right arm to push herself off the bed but winced. She used her left hand to hold up her right wrist, which pained her, to examine it.

There was a bleeding cut there. Normally, a wound like that wouldn't bother Rukia but something was different about this one. She frowned and let her right arm go limp to ease the pain as she stood up.

The room was white and so was the bed. The clothes she was wearing were that bland color too. It was a barren room except for the bed and one gray door. She stumbled towards it, because it pained her to walk, aiming to escape.

She let her left hand attempt to spin the doorknob, but it didn't budge. She tried using her Kidou to break it down, but somehow, she couldn't even use the weak Kidou.

She sat down on the bed and looked at the ground sorrowfully. "What is this place?" she asked herself. "Why can't I use my Kidou?"

Footsteps approached and she looked up at the door. She watched the knob spin and a man approached, holding a box, exactly similar to the one Kisuke told Uryuu to give to Grandma.

He gave her a kind smile and sat down next to her. "You're awake," he stated, looking up to the ceiling dreamily. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not very long," Rukia replied. She watched him open the box. "What's that?" she asked. He didn't reply and let the white light escape the box. "Is that Pandora's Box?" she inquired.

"Ah, so you've heard that story," he said gently. "Pandora received a box she was told never to open, but she couldn't resist, so she opened it in the end. Out of it came all of the evils: demons, death, suffering, and many more. But one good thing came out of it. That was hope."

"Is that really Pandora's Box?" Rukia asked.

"No," he replied. "A scientist, who tried making a box that would reset what happened with Pandora's Box made this. There are three other boxes like this in this world. Three of them are his failures. And the fourth one… he killed himself making it. No one knows if it works or not."

"Why did he want to undo Pandora's Box so badly?" Rukia asked.

"No one knows about that…" he said. He took a deep breath. "I'm Kairu," he introduced himself. He had dark hair that was in a normal boy's style and dark brown eyes. "It's nice to meet you, Rukia."

"How did you know my name?" Rukia asked.

"I just knew."

Rukia was silent, thinking that this man was slightly suspicious.

The man, finding nothing else to do at that moment, closed his eyes and said into the box, "To Rukia, I grant light powers." Rukia also heard a voice, simultaneously saying, "To Rukia, I grant dark powers." The words echoed off of the blank walls and blended together. The box suddenly closed. Rukia was on the floor, trembling in pain.

Kairu looked at her with sad eyes but made no attempt to help her, or rather; he didn't know how to help her. "I was instructed to leave if this situation occurred," he said and stood up. "I'm sorry. I can't help you. That's against my instructions." He excused himself and walked past the door.

Rukia, still moving about in pain, noticed her right wrist glowing. "What's happening?!" she shouted. "Why won't anyone explain it to me?! Where is everyone that I know?!" He voice suddenly calmed and became quiet. "Where is Ichigo when I need him…?" She reached out towards nothing. "Ichigo…"

* **

"Ichigo…" The words echoed in his head.

"Did you guys hear something just now?" Ichigo asked.

"No, not anything particularly strange," Keigo replied.

"Oh…" Ichigo responded, disappointed. "I thought I heard Rukia's voice. It must've been my imagination."

"Umm…" Keigo started. "I'm kind of confused right now. So… can you explain it to me?"

Ichigo, Uryuu, Chad, and Inoue spent about three hours trying to explain everyone to him so that it would make sense, but stopped, thinking that it was impossible. But Keigo really did understand. He just interrupted and asked useless questions more frequently than the rest of them would like to have him do.

Keigo suddenly bowed. "I accept this explanation," he said seriously. "I believe it."

There was a silence as everyone stared in awe at his sudden seriousness.

"It's kind of touching to see him like this," Uryuu stated.

"Very moving," Kon agreed.

"You shouldn't be talking," Ichigo told Kon.

"Excuse me," Keigo said. "I need to the bathroom." He stood up and left the room.

"Oh, I understand," Inoue said. "He was trying to hold it in."

Ryuuji entered right after that and said, "Grandma, I'll go back to the city now. Mom and Dad need me back to help them with their business. So… I shall depart for now and visit some other time."

"Can you take us with you?" Ichigo asked.

Ryuuji was taken aback. "Uh… sure…" he replied awkwardly. "Why are you planning to come though?"

"We're on a journey," Uryuu replied honestly, without spilling all of the details.

"Okay," Ryuuji responded. "That sounds interesting. Well then, pack up your things, which I know you have little of, and go to the bathroom before we leave. It's going to be at least a thirty minute walk."

"You don't even have bikes?" Kon asked.

"I can't afford one," Ryuuji replied sadly.

"Let's ask Urahara-san for a bike," Ichigo suggested, pulling out the rabbit ear headset.

***

"No," Kisuke replied, once he appeared on the screen and was asked the question. "There is no need for six bikes, let alone one, my dear little bunnies. Walk, you fat bunnies, you have to walk. Burn off some calories." The screen disappeared.

"NNOO!!" Kon screamed. "Someone has to carry me! I have little legs! I can't walk like you people. And my feet will get dirty! Come on, I'm patched up enough!"

Everyone refused to offer him a ride.

"Hurry up," Ryuuji called from outside, putting on his shoes. "Let's go, everyone!"


	6. Shattered Segment 6: City

Mickan (Dwielle) – a demon who resides in the volcano

**Bleach Fan Fiction ~ The Glass Portal To Another World**

Segment 6: City

"Ah!" Kon exclaimed, flopping down on the hard cement in relief. "The great smell or air pollution from factories is so great!" He lifted his arms as if he were embracing the air.

Ichigo looked through the huge pocket on his jeans where he stored the rabbit ear headset. Grandma had told him to keep the box and take it almost with him. She said that it would be of some use to them in the future. Because of that, the box was also now stored in his pocket.

"Why is everything so old-fashioned in this world?" Keigo complained.

"Maybe the people here aren't as intelligent as the ones in our world," Uryuu stated.

"So…" Ryuu started, turning around and showing the fire of anger burning in his eyes, "you're calling us Isoulings stupid?"

"Yes," Uryuu replied honestly.

As Ryuuji and Uryuu held their quarrel, Ichigo turned to Chad and asked, "So this world is called Isou?"

Chad grunted as a 'yes.'

"Oh look it's a vending machine!" Keigo shouted, stopping everyone in their conversations. For some reason, he had an uncontrollable urge to run up to it and embrace it, so he did.

"You're molesting the machine," Ichigo stated bluntly.

"What an unpleasant sight…" Uryuu said disapprovingly.

***

They sat in a café, sipping coffee downtown an hour later. Keigo was somehow clumsy with his hands at that time so he repeatedly spilled his drink.

"Everyday, I worry about Grandma being eaten by a horrible animal in the jungle place," Ryuuji said, gripping his cup and sighing. "I don't even know why she stays there. Whenever I ask her to come back to the city with me, she refuses and never tell me the reason. It's like she doesn't trust me, sometimes."

"I'm sure that's not the reason, Ryuuji," Inoue said. "Maybe she just wants to stay there because it is her home."

"Maybe," Ryuuji replied, stirring the coffee in thought.

The ground shook and rumbled, interrupting his pondering. The people surrounding them had a worried look on their aces and some left the café. The manager of the store told his employees that they could leave for the day and they scurried outside right away. When Ichigo and his teammates looked out of the window overlooking the town, they saw the townspeople running about. The townspeople's reactions bore similarity to those of scattering ants looking for shelter from a thunderstorm.

"What's happening?" Ichigo asked.

Ryuuji looked calm. "It's a volcano," he responded. "But it never really erupts. The people just scatter when they hear it rumbling just in case."

"What if it really erupts?" Uryuu asked, standing up, preparing to leave the town.

"It won't," Ryuuji replied confidently. "Grandma told me." He paused in thought. Then he continued, "The volcano started doing this a year ago. Some people went up there to examine it… but they never came back. Now there's a rumor around saying that there's a demon living inside the volcano, threatening us." He pointed out the window to a large trail of smoke rising up into the sky. "That's coming from the volcano."

"I guess it would be interesting to check it out," Ichigo said, after a moment of observing the smoke.

"Yes, we have to," Ryuuji said. "The truth is, in this area, if you enter it, you cannot leave." He saw the surprised look on their faces and explained, "You were already in this area in the first place, back when you fell out of the sky, so it's not like I led you into a trap or anything."

"Then how do we get out?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, people say that the demon is the cause of this curse," Ryuuji replied. "So to leave, I'm assuming that we have to get rid of it. Maybe it's worth a try… I've got nothing to lose, so… I'll come with you and support you."

Ichigo had set his mind on going to the volcano. "If we don't come back," he started, "Uryuu, Inoue, and Kon, you will stay back to find clues of Rukia for us, okay?"

"What-" Uryuu started but paused. "Fine. But you better come back here."

Ichigo grinned. "Yeah, I will, it's a promise. Thanks, Uryuu." He turned towards the others. "Ryuuji, Chad, Keigo, let's go."

"No, I don't wanna go!" Keigo whined, so Ichigo had to grab him by the collar and drag him out the door.

Once they left the café, Inoue stated, "Waiting… is a painful thing."

Uryuu hesitated in surprise. "I know," he finally responded, "but we can wait."

"Yeah!" Kon exclaimed. "I'm here with Inoue! But why did Uryuu have to stay too?" He pouted. "Ichigo things too badly of me."

"I can't wait to see Rukia again," Inoue commented. "I miss her."

***

Ichigo, Chad, and Ryuuji ran up the side of the volcano while Keigo was dragged. They wore masks to prevent then from smelling the toxic gas emitting from the volcano.

"Where does the demon live?" Ichigo asked, muffled.

"I don't know," Ryuuji responded. "But because no one returned from her, I'm guessing it should attack us very soon."

It did. The rock from underneath Ichigo broke and he jumped away, losing his grip on Keigo, who ran behind a few rocks a distance away.

The demon emerged. It seemed Arrancar-like, with half of its mask ripped off. It had a beak and some feathers on its arms.

"Who are you?" Ichigo asked, holding out the sword that appeared in his grasp when he simply thought of it.

"Mickan Dwielle, the demon of this volcano," it announced.

Ryuuji held a long stick he prepared before they ran to the volcano.

Keigo, who was trembling behind some rocks, whimpered. But then he took a few deep breaths and calmed down. He pulled out a notepad and wrote down the demon's name. "Mickan… Dwielle," he muttered as he wrote the characters down.

The page in front of him brightened and blinded him.

The demon headed towards the light, but Ichigo blocked its way, defending Keigo, who he knew had no fighting experience. "Your opponent is the three of us, not that one," Ichigo said.

He hoped that Keigo was watching the battle. That was the sole reason he brought him along. He wanted Keigo to learn what to do if an enemy confronted him.

"Fine," the demon replied. "Once I finish the three of you weaklings, I'll go for that one. I must no allow anyone to go back!" It lunged at Ichigo.

Ichigo struggled resisting the attack with his sword but managed to throw Mickan back. "Why not?" asked Ichigo. "Why won't you let people go back form here? Why must you kill them all?"

"You do not understand the pain I HAVE GONE THROUGH!!!!" the demon exclaimed, sending a destructive sound wave towards Ichigo.

Ichigo's ear sensed it coming before it was too late and he barely sidestepped the attack. "I've also gone through a lot of hardships!" he exclaimed. "Maybe I would understand if you explain it to me."

"It's a waste of time," Mickan growled.

Keigo stared blankly at the empty sheet of paper in front of him. "What happened?" he asked himself. "I was just writing information down in case it would connect together and let me find something… but it disappeared off the page!" He closed the notepad. If it was going to disappear off the page like that, what was the use of writing it? He'll just store this information in his head instead.

He looked around. There was a crevice in between the rocks he hid behind. He glanced into it and spotted round, shiny, white ovals. "Food?" he asked. He reached inside the gap and gained three small eggs. "FOOD!" he exclaimed happily. He paused.

On one of the eggs were the words "Mickan Dwielle" in his own handwriting. "Maybe not food…" he said disappointedly.

Chad finally attacked from behind the demon. He landed it on the demon's arm which crumbled off, but instantly regenerated.

Ryuuji closed in and whacked Mickan's mask with his stick.

It did nothing, so he ran a safe distance away, shocked that it didn't do any damage.

_There must be some kind of secret behind this to defeat this monster! _Ichigo, Chad, and Ryuuji thought simultaneously.

_Maybe there's a secret behind this egg, _Keigo wondered.


	7. Shattered Segment 7: Volcano

**Bleach Fan Fiction ~ The Glass Portal To Another World**

Shattered Segment 7: Volcano

The cut on Rukia's right wrist didn't seem like it would heal any time soon. Actually, it looked like it was going to be there forever, and she would have to get used to seeing it there every day. Even after all this time, the dried blood didn't darken into a purple. Instead, it remained bright red, almost orange. Clearly, this wound wasn't normal.

Rukia wandered the room for the time she was there, expecting the return of Kairu. She wanted to ask him so many things. Why was she there? Can she go outside? Is he an enemy or friend? Where was she? Does he know Ichigo?

She was bored, almost to the point that her face was glued to that blank expression. Just like the room, her mind was becoming blank.

And so was her stomach.

She kept watch on the door out of the corner of her eye. But she couldn't wait any longer so she stumbled towards it and touched the doorknob.

It spun and slowly opened.

Kairu walked in and set down a tray of food near her bed.

It took all she can do to not stuff herself right then. Instead, she ate it slowly and diligently, just what her brother would expect.

"I'm assuming you have many questions," Kairu said when she finished her meal.

"Why am I here?" she asked.

"We're going to use you," he replied honestly.

"Who is 'we'?"

"My friends in this building."

"Who are they?"

"My co-workers."

"Can I leave this place?"

"No."

"Bathroom?"

"If you touch the wall across the room from the door, a toilet-like contraption should appear."

"Why can't I leave?"

"Because we're using you."

"For what?"

"That's information I'm not supposed to give out."

"Are you supposed to be my friend of enemy?"

"It depends on what you think."

"Do you know Ichigo?"

"No, but I used to be a friend of Kaien's."

"Used to?"

"I guess I would still be if he didn't die."

Rukia felt a surge of guilt.

"It's not your fault," he said, almost reading her mind.

"When can you let me out?"

"You really want to leave, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'll let out of this room by tomorrow and you can leave the building the day after that."

"Thanks…" She paused and thought of another question. "How did you meet Kaien?"

"By normal means."

"What?"

"I don't really want to talk about it…"

"Oh, I'm sorry." She paused and then hid under the covers, feeling guilt. She had asked too many questions.

"You don't have to be sorry," he replied. He paused to wait for another question to come out of her mouth.

It didn't come.

He stood up and said, "Well, I guess I should leave now. If you ever need me again, touch the doorknob okay?"

So that's how. She didn't have to wait for food after all. She was basically starving herself the whole time she was anticipating his arrival.

Her body seemed to have healed during the time she was locked up in the room. She wasn't as sore as before, which was a good thing. The only problem now was her right wrist.

She forced her right hand into a fist and winced at the pain it inflicted on to her wrist.

***

Kon bounced on the table in the cage in front of Uryuu, who was reading a magazine about the delayed technology of the Isou world. "Uryuu, Inoue fell asleep!" he exclaimed in a whisper.

Uryuu gently set down the magazine and stared up at Inoue.

Kon didn't lie. She had soundly fallen asleep on the table.

Kon noticed Uryuu's fond gaze and whispered, "It's a pity she fell for Ichigo instead of you, isn't it?"

Uryuu's face grew red and he nervously picked up his magazine and pretended to read in case Inoue woke up. "N- no, it isn't a pity," he stammered. "I'm fine with that. I- it's not like I care… right?"

"Uryuu's so stubborn!" Kon said softly but intensely. "Admit it!"

"Shut up!" Uryuu whispered, refusing to look at Kon.

***

Keigo stared at the eggs sitting on his palm. Then he looked at Mickan. Then he looked back at the eggs. He scratched his chin in wonder like an old man.

Mickan had feathers. The eggs were shiny. There was no resemblance at all.

Keigo continued thinking. Feathers? Eggs? How are they connected?

He received a headache and rolled around on the hard rocks. This was too hard for him. Did that old lady really give him the power to think?

Ichigo jumped and dodged an air attack from Mickan and finally cut him on the leg. A small wound. Nothing big. At this rate, they won't be able to defeat him fast enough. Inoue and Uryuu would probably start worrying.


	8. Shattered Segment 8: Eggs

Thank for the reviews! I really appreciate it! Thanks! I really can't believe I got over ten reviews. I think that's a miracle.

**Bleach Fan Fiction ~ The Glass Portal To Another World**

Shattered Segment 8: Eggs

The egg that Keigo was holding hatched. Actually, all three of them hatched. But more hatched from inside the crevice between the rocks and flew out. If you added them up, there were six of them.

He stared at them.

They stared at him.

He stared at them.

They stared at him.

And he noticed the resemblance. "Are you…" he started. "Are you Mickan's kids?"

They all shook their heads simultaneously.

And then, the six chicks acted out a scene for him and used sign language for words. Surprisingly, Keigo understood them.

_"Mickan, can you fix the roof today?" his wife asked. "It broke a bit from the storm yesterday." She paused and smiled. "I know you'll do it anyway, because you love this house."_

_He put down the newspaper and nodded, smiling. "Of course," he said. "I'll get the supplies after I feed the bird." _

_He stood up and dumped out the old birdseed and refilled it with new ones. When he opened the cage, the bird didn't fly out, it stayed in and seemed to smile and say 'Thanks.'_

_"Daddy!" a little girl shouted, running up to him. "My teddy bear ripped. Can you fix it?"_

_"Not yet, after I fix the roof," he replied._

_She paused. "Okay, I'll wait," she responded. "I want the house to be fixed, because I want to stay here forever. I love this house."_

_He patted her head and left the house. He bought a bit of wood from the store in town, away from the mountain where his house was, and came back._

_When he opened the door, his wife had a worried look on her face. "What happened?" he asked._

_"The mountain…" she replied. _

_"No…" he said when he heard a rumble. The house shook and some plates shattered on the ground. "No…" he repeated, not believing it. _

_The trembling of the ground grew more intense and his daughter pulled on his shirt. "Daddy, we have to go!" she said, and pulled him out of the door._

_The mother followed. And he was in too much of a shock to notice that he left his bird behind. _

_The bird was silent as they left though._

_They were halfway down the mountain when they heard an explosion. And cinders flew up into the sky and lava flowed down the side of the mountain._

_"Cover your nose!" he shouted. "Don't breathe in the toxic gas coming from it."_

_The daughter refused once she remembered something. "The bird!" she shouted and started to run up the mountain._

_"No!" he shouted and tried to stop her, but she slipped out of his grasp and continued upwards._

_The volcano that used to be a peaceful mountain exploded again. And he ran towards the girl. But his wife stopped him. "We can't have two people die!" she shouted over the sounds. The rest of the people that lived on the mountain were already down at the base, and kept running towards the town, where it probably wouldn't reach to._

_The aftermath was horrible. Everyone that went up the mountain again had to wear gas masks. Everything was in ashes. All of the plant life was gone. His house was in ashes. _

_Even though he was still living, his soul was corrupted over the loss of his house, bird, and daughter and he transformed into a Hollow. He ate the soul of everyone who came up there. _

Keigo waited for more when the bird stopped, but it never came.

The bird pointed at his pocket.

"My notepad?" he asked and took it out.

The bird told him to write the word 'House'.

He did, and the words disappeared off the page with the same blinding light as the last time he wrote.

The scenery changed, and there were plants, plants everywhere. In the midst of the plants, was a house. His handwriting was on it.

"Ichigo!" he exclaimed, running back towards the volcanic rocks that haven't been turned to plant life yet. "Come see!"

When he kept shouting Ichigo's name, only to be ignored, he jammed his fist into the demon's back, distracting it. Seeing another foe, Mickan turned towards Keigo and started giving chase.

"Hey, Keigo!" Ichigo shouted, almost out of breath from fighting for so long. "That's dangerous!" He ran after the two, along with Ryuuji and Chad.

When Mickan arrived by the house, he paused in awe. Keigo read off what the birds were showing him, "In your despair… you created your own horrid world that didn't actually exist and affected the rest of the citizen's lives. Now open your eyes… and see that your bacon is here…" Keigo paused. "Bacon?" he asked.

The door of the house opened and a woman wearing an apron appeared with a pretty girl by her side. "Honey, you're finally home!" the woman exclaimed.

"Daddy!" the girl exclaimed. She was a teen now, unlike what the birds showed Keigo.

There was silence as the wind gently blew away Mickan's feathers and his mask disappeared. He actually looked human again.

In his despair, he created a different space that differed from reality. After a few days, plant life grew once again on the mountain and his daughter was found alive, escaped into the jungle that Ryuuji's grandmother lived. He thought it was going to stay the same scarred place and his Hollow self created that.

"Daddy!" the girl shouted again and ran towards him. She hugged him. "I missed you," she said.

Mickan was crying and he bent down and embraced her. "You grew up so pretty!" he exclaimed through his tears. When a human becomes a Hollow, they can go back, unlike the souls.

The woman, his wife, glanced at Ichigo and the rest. "Are these your guests?" the woman asked.

Mickan paused. "Yes," he said finally. "They are my very good friends. Please treat them well."

"I welcome you in," she said smiling. "Thanks for taking care of Mickan in his absence. We have some bacon ready."

"Bacon!" Keigo exclaimed and ran into the house rudely.

The volcano disappeared and was replaced with a beautiful mountain. The scenery completely and the townspeople far away were finally at peace.

***

Once they arrived back at the café, Keigo exclaimed. "They're all asleep!" at the sight of Inoue and Uryuu snoozing on the table.

"Well, that's expected," Ichigo said. "We took a long time."


End file.
